by Phyllis Couper
This article started out to discuss the big secret ban on gas hot water tanks issued by the Bay Area Air Quality Management District (now renamed Bay Area Air District). In 2023, BAAD created a law to ban our gas hot water tanks effective January 1, 2027. But this article also questions what type of government we living with.
Thanks to Gina Zari, our Tri-Valley Republican’s May speaker, we were enlightened about this law and the financial ramifications to every home in the nine bay counties. The public was given no notice of it then or since. If we are forced to retrofit our homes with electric hot water tanks, it could cost each one of us $50,000 to $300,000 depending on the size of home. The BAAD report says cost would only be $2,500 to $3,000 which wouldn’t even cover the electrician’s bill. Why the secrecy? Perhaps knowing they would meet with much resistance?
There is something wrong with legislation that allows state agencies to use Article Two of our state constitution, The People’s Law, to intrude to this extent on our individual rights. Their justification is climate change. With millions of tons of pollution emitted into the air around the world by industry, the logic of picking on gas hot water tanks as a major solution is questionable.
One has to ask if the ever-encroaching intrusions into our personal lives by agencies such as BAAD are indicative of communist intrusion. Rules, laws and taxes that force local farmers to sell to big corp, the CCP buying farm land near our military bases, a CCP balloon flying over our military bases gathering data, the MTC, ABAG, and BAAFA voting to create “transportation cities” in an effort to rid us of our cars, local and regional grass roots and special interest groups pushing the climate change issue, and California ending Covid restrictions in 2021 while all other states ended theirs in 2020, all smack of control of the many by the few.
Based on these few of many more like facts, one can’t help wondering if California is or is becoming a Communist state. After January 1, 2027, only electric hot water heaters will be available to purchase and fines will be levied to any company installing a previously owned gas hot water tank. The time to protest to BAAD loudly is now! Go to the website:TooCostlyBayArea.-com. There you will find the contact information for the commissioners representing your county.
Phyllis Couper, of Pleasanton CA, is a Op-Ed Writer / Blogger and Commentator. Phyllis Couper is the First Vice President of Tri-Valley Republicans. Phyllis and husband Rennie are longstanding residents and former small business owners in Pleasanton, CA where they raised their family. Phyllis can be reached at coupclan1962@gmail.com.